Funding Guidelines
The Foundation for Child Development does not accept unsolicited proposals, rather, requests for funding are submitted to the Foundation by invitation only. We fund organizations that are non-profit, public charities as recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service under the Internal Revenue code 501(c)(3).
Our Young Scholars Program for fellowship grants is our only open competition. Please visit the Young Scholars Program page for more information about eligibility and the application process.
What We Fund
The Foundation for Child Development supports policy and practice relevant research, as well as advocacy and communications, related to our current programmatic direction. Please visit our Stronger Workforce, Effective Systems, and Priority Populations pages for more information on our current focus on the early care and education workforce.
Below are our grantmaking strategies for the types of activities the Foundation supports:
- Research: Support to non-profit research centers to generate and disseminate policy-relevant and/or practice-relevant knowledge supportive of the Foundation’s major programs and initiatives
- Fellowships: Support to promising scholars for their research projects and for mentoring and networking opportunities to develop their leadership and collaboration skills
- Public policy/advocacy: Support for public awareness and policymaker education through grants, through convenings and communications, and through cultivating collaboration
- Strategic communications: Support to bring about social change, shape policy, and influence public opinion, mobilize decision-makers and key stakeholders, and transmit and translate research knowledge into action
What We Do Not Fund
- Direct services
- Capital campaigns and endowments
- The purchase, construction, or renovation of buildings
- Grants for projects outside the United States